06 Apr, 2009
Exploring a famous Ottawa landmark: the Diefenbunker
Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Ottawa for kids|Ottawa
The Diefenbunker, located just outside of Ottawa near the town of Carp, was one of seven nuclear fallout shelters built across Canada at the height of the cold war. They were created to provide emergency government headquarters in case of nuclear attack. The one in Carp, the largest at four storeys deep, was designated Central Emergency Government Headquarters (CEGHQ) and was to provide a very select list of people (500, I think) living space for 28 days.
For what it’s worth, 10% of the people on the list were women.
It’s like visiting another time, a freaky reminder of that pervasive fear we all had of being cooked in our beds by the Red Army. (Remember those old Emergency Warning System warnings? And how in school we were told to hide under our desks? Ha. Like it would have made a difference.)
Here’s the blast tunnel, made of metal and a thick layer of concrete.
Rotary phones, big black ashtrays, mint and pink paint. It was all strangely familiar and somehow disconcerting at the same time.
There’s no point wondering why they would have allowed people to smoke in an enclosed area which depended so heavily on filtered air (which came from outside).
I liked these clocks. I might set my watch to Zulu time and see what happens.
Here’s the CBC studio. During a nuclear attack Lorne Green would have been invited to give the emergency broadcast (they were able to take over local stations for a national broadcast) and then leave the building when the broadcast was over.
Here’s the Prime Minister’s bedroom. It is luxurious compared to the other quarters, which consisted entirely of bunks which were shared between shifts. Note that his bed sleeps one.
Prime Minister Diefenbaker was invited to tour the building, but never did.
This is the Bank of Canada vault. Check out the size of that door. There is also a smaller one next to it, designed to release pressure from the interior (otherwise the big 20T door couldn’t be opened). There were seven combination locks, and seven different people were assigned one of the combinations.
CBC.ca has some more info about the Diefenbunker on their website, including a television clip from 1994, the year the Diefenbunker was decommissioned.
Worth going? Yes.
Wheelchair/stroller friendly? No.
Here’s their official website if you need more info or to book your reservations (which you must do if you’re planning a visit.) Combine it with a trip to the Carp Farmer’s market and you have the makings of a pretty nice day.
